Agree with what the guys said, always wear mitts due to UK roads and the soft pad for wiping your face (or nose at this time of year!) is helpful too. Cargo bib shorts are also a useful addition, extra pockets on the back of the bibs and net pockets on the legs to put rubbish like empty gel wrappers in to so they don't cover everything else in gel.
I always use cycling gloves. Have a Specialized/Fjällräven top tube bag when out for longer than 3h. Lastly, the bone conducting headphones are always on. I really like having my music on and still being able to hear the traffic around me. Amongst all of it, Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” album and also it’s different versions are some of my most played tracks. Thx for a great show lads. 👍
My no. 1 choice for long endurance rides are 950ml Elite bottles. You don‘t want to stop all the time. In terms of bags: Shoutout to Tailfin bags from Bristol around the corner from GCN megabase. Stuff that actually works.
Glad you’re mentioning mitts as we rarely see them worn in GCN vids. I wear them for everything but short rides to the shops etc. for padding and protection. They really make a difference.
+1 for gloves. There’s always a risk of crashing. I had my first crash in a long time a couple of weeks ago-pothole in a shadow-and shredded my gloves with no hand injury at all. Also, a swipe across the brow with my absorbent thumb thingy on the gloves helps keep my sunglasses sweat-free longer.
Ollie: "Front bags are impractical and hard to access while riding" Me: *easily rummaging in my randonneur bag for a pastry* "No snacks for you, then!"
@@gcntech thanks, living in the desert with 10% humidity, I'm used to mink oiling my shoes and seat. so, I've gone as far as mink oiling and new one, putting it in a Ziplock bag and storing it in the pantry
I’m running a tire inflator that can triple as a flashlight and a powerbank. 🤣 i hate that it’s bulky but I love it for the confidence it gives that I can handle some punctures and low battery issues until I can go home. 😅
As a fair-skinned lad who lives in the South in the US, sunscreen is a MUST! Even on my rides in the early evenings, I apply sunscreen to my forearms and neck. As for the stick-type sunscreen, I carry one with me and use this mostly on my neck on longer rides. Learned this when doing a century ride and having my sunscreen wash off, which led to a very 'toasty' neck after the ride. Made me a true "Red Neck".
My recommendations for endurance: - Long sleeve non-thermal jersey for sun protection of arms in summer time - Powermeter to watch constant power output, especially to not get exhausted early by too much power output when going uphill
Could you recommend some brand or what to look for in such a shirt? Seems I only find the ones that also warm you, and they feel too warm for summer. I’d love to swap to the shirts for most of the time.
@@schuerfrau I have the discontinued Gore Torrent long sleeve which I used for almost all of my summer rides this year. The Castelli Prologo 7 long sleeve might be an option as well, as the description states it's for UV protection in summer time.
Fingerless gloves or "Mits" as you call them have padding in the palms and also, as you stated, if you ever crash, they protect your hands. See Phil Gaimon video of how his palms were ripped up after a "mitless" crash while riding a track bike. Also, see videos of Alex after he crashed.
Ollie, as an old man, (74,) I have old man hands. I have always worn cylicng gloves, (mitts to you Brits.) The brand I use has a small space at the base of the thumb where the velcro closure is. I always have a small tan spot there.
I did 700km ride in 25 hrs just 2 weeks ago, and used most of the things mentioned here- bone conduction headphones, zinc sunscreen stick, power bank in a bento box... one other thing that I think helped was aero bars, which I put on a second bike. I did a bike change every 6-8 hours. I found the slight change in saddle/shoes/bars really comfortable, but obviously, it assumes you have a support vehicle following you to haul the spare bike.
As much as I enjoy the educational content of GCN, I also really appreciate the dry humour - in which Ollie seems to specialize. Normally I pick up on "That's what she said" opportunities pretty quickly. But like Conor I was totally surprised by the comment about, "If you've got a good zip, you can reach in and get your bits"! 😂 Another GCN T-shirt waiting to happen! And GCN might as well go ahead and put Conor's quote on UA-cam as one of their Shorts clips.
Bone Conducting headphones are the best. They're safe, can help pass the time solo and you can always pause and just enjoy outside if you want. Big fan of them. The Aftershokz i have aren't great for music (from an audio levels perspective) but are great for podcasts. Oladance are great for both.
I have to second what you've written about the Shokz ones fully. I have had the same experience as well, although the Pro versions are a it better for music than the standard versions. I haven't tried the others you've mentioned. I may have to give them a try, as I do like my music on rides, and I also like being safe. For years, I would wear a single in ear bud on the "non road" side, so I could hear traffic, etc.
I find the same, I've got an old pair of Aftershokz and the bass on them is poor although apparently newer models are better. Even around my local park, where the traffic is limited to 15mph and there are loads of speed bumps to enforce it, you can still hear the traffic coming as well as kids shouting, dogs barking etc.
Headphones are not safe. If you're listening to music or podcasts while riding, you're missing important cues from your environment because you are listening to something else. You don't know what you are missing.
@@oldanslo I disagree. In-ears are dangerous cause they block out most of the audio, but bone conducting don't. That's why they exist. I don't use them all the time but that, plus my radar letting me know a vehicle is a few KM behind, I've never felt like I was caught off guard. They're not for everyone though for sure I get that
@@cruachan1191 Yeah mine are good but not great. It's also kind of annoying how the volume on mine only goes up to the max of what your phone is. so if my phone is at 50% volume, 100% of my Shokz is 50% of total volume. I realized that first ride when I was THIS close to throwing them away lol
Did a long ride last year (315km), key things I did was g one rs 40mm tyres for comfort (and speed 😮) to help my arse cope with the journey, also used a fizik 3D printed saddle, which was very comfortable, red shift suspension stem to help my hands. Castelli free aero bib shorts for comfort. Top tube box for snacks. Flat peddles and MTB flat shoes so I could move my feet around and move around easier at the drink stops. Made the ride really enjoyable 😊
Been riding Brooks leather saddles for 40 years. They always end up the same shape, which is nothing like any others I’ve seen. Used to see a lot in my club riding days, and they were (pretty much) all different. Shows how we’re all different. So agree 100%, your perfect saddle might not suit anyone else you know.
I always wear mitts. Saved my hands this week when I took a nasty spill. Only lost a bit of skin on my wrist, I'd be in a lot more pain without the padding. As far as sun protection, sun sleeves are super underrated. They're comfortable even in the worst weather and they protect better than sunscreen.
I recently changed my saddle, mostly for aesthetic purposes, to a Prologo NDR 143. Total game changer. It has a wide cutout and short nose. My sit bones are now properly supposed, and when I get in an aero position, I'm not being uncomfortably squished.
One simple bit I’d kit I love on an endurance ride…….energy gel pouch. You can get 3 or 4 gels in one and then put it in your jersey pocket. You then don’t have to faff around with gel wrappers during the event. Needs some gel, just get it out and take a slurp. Brilliant.
I completely agree with Ollie on both headphone usage and bone conduction headphone usage as I also use bone conduction headphones for listening to podcasts when riding. However, I think he ignores the fact that listening to something on headphones is also a massive distraction. Although my ears are no covered I find I don't "hear" traffic because I concentrating on something else. This should not be underestimated.
I agree. Was shocked once to find myself very into a song and hadn't realised a car was right behind me on a country road, (thankfully a very responsible driver). It has made me think twice
For my Ultra Distance epics I swear on the SON dynamo with a usb converter - really the only way to keep things charged and avoid stopping or being forced to stopp, would never rely on a single power bank
Left earbud in transparency mode for me. Right ear always uncovered to hear cars nearby. Or use a garmin varia to spot cars cruising right behind you as well
2,954 days of living off a bicycle: noise canceling headphones (gonna get hit from behind by a truck, statiscally, headphones wont hurt ya): power bank with solar panels & Son 28 front hub & Sinewave USB stem cap: Surley Moloko bars, can get aero, & tons of hand positioning, front suspension fork with velospring grips, no buzz: Surley Moloko feed bag, easy to use while riding: 2" wide or greater tires with tubes (no flats, good for higher weights, and better ride, Schwalbe Marathons touring): Selle Anatomica saddle, it is a leather hammok that is adjustable & thudbuster LT post (no padded panties/manties needed). Don't worry so much about the gear, go use it up with riding and try something new. Know your/you're love
Haha, I’m listening to this on my bone-conducting headphones! Love them. I used to ride with earbuds, but I agree, they were not wise. But bone-conducting is the bomb!
Right now I wear gloves because it's kinda cold in the morning! Even with the rather short ride I need to do (1.8 km) the cold gets to my hands. I've also got a light toque that I wear under my helmet, though when it gets really cold I'll switch to a ski helmet. Other than that, the regular equipment is two bottles, one water and one Gatorade, an under-saddle bag for snacks and a few tools, and also a phone holder.
I'm with Connor on this one. I prefer comfort over speed and even I think 32mm is too small for me. I have 32mm tires with tread on my carbon road bike and would prefer 35mm. I ride consistently already and that's enough for me. I'm looking for another road bike that takes my 38mm tires that's waiting here in my garage. I have my gravel with 47mm on them and my future carbon road bike will have 38mm.
I had a road training wheelset built for my Giant Revolt. I’m running GP5000 AS TR’s in 700x35 - they’re awesome. My gravel wheelset have Pathfinder Pro’s in 47mm.
@@petersouthernboy6327 nice! It makes you want to ride longer and more! I'm about to get my next Roadie sooner or later and it will have 35mm or 38mm which I currently have waiting
@@petersouthernboy6327 I never liked the look of it and for some reason I can't get past the design. Haha! Then it started crossing my mind within the last few years. If I get one of those for nearly free on FB marketplace then I'll try it out
Powerbank that uses mag-charge as opposed to cable is more reliable in wet weather. USB-C charing port gets swamped in the rain and phone wont charge with cable, especially if phone is mounted on Quadlock on bars / stem during a wet ride.
Having ridden since the 80’s and recently diagnosed with skin cancer on my nose, I can’t stress enough the use of suncream, especially on your nose and ears! Use it, or lose it!
As someone who tried a couple of bone conduction headphones, including the most expensive ones, I’ve found it doesn’t grant me any more environmental awareness than just using earbuds with transparency modes or without sound cancellation on. At volumes loud enough to hear the content over the wind, I’ve found there wasn’t any merit and only a noticeable drop in audio quality. Maybe my ears, or bones in this case, aren’t good enough to tell the difference?
They're especially nice (the bone conduction headphones) for places where having headphones while biking is illegal since it's basically the same thing as having a boom box.
I spent a couple of decades suffering from recurrent tendonitis. Repeatedly using medication, physical therapy, and braces. I have since found that regular weight training can almost entirely prevent future tendonitis episodes. The key is to work with a physical therapist as to which exercises you need to do without inflaming the existing issue. Pull-ups (cyclist kryptonite) are a great exercise for this.
Oi, Bridgewood! The Inner Pedant sitting on my shoulder is *forcing* me to point out that you are confusing acronyms with nominative determinism! Unfortunately I'm personally too dull-witted to dream up a witty acronym to sign off with. Which is why I failed my interview for the position of Acronym Research & Selection Executive.
I found a saddle that just what I wanted and is really comfortable all day - I bought half a dozen! Because I know that when I came to get another one - I wouldn't be able to find one.
**been on swift 7 years. Not quite as long as Oli but quite a long time. £5.99 then! £17.99 now! There have been lots of changes but at the end of the day you're still pedalling a bike in a room! How many riders who use Zwift actually look at the screen? I bet the majority watch UA-cam, TV or listen to something.
I've become a disk and wide tyres (ish) convert recently. Now look, they're right, on continental Europe, USA and Canada you can get by with 25mm no worries and have awesome time. But in England our roads are pretty much gravel with how chunky the asphalt is, I reckon if you did a watt test you'd need an extra 50w to cruse at the same speed compared to a Spanish or Swiss road. With constant potholes and patch-repairs making up most of some roads I've found it far smoother especially in the winter months between Jan and Dec.
I liked that you mentioned mitts/gloves and saddles. Two contact points. I would add a good cycling shoe with a proper fit. Even with a custom foot bed. Add the third point of contact.
I wear mitts because I can use my hands to clean my tires and prevent flats. I use aero bars for endurance rides to give me another hand position on the bike. Connor nickname should be Jolly Green Giant.
It feels like this video was made for me! 🤣 32mm tyres, talking about comfort, constant feeding - apart from the earphones. I've had a pair for many years but still never used them on the bike.
Atlas of public toilets. A "Relief map". Subway app on my phone. Subway have Gluten Free, McD and BK don't. KFC are GF, except for the burger buns. There should be no pain on a bike tour. If there is, you are pedalling wrong. There should be no hand discomfort. If there is, your saddle is tipped forward. Li-Ion batteries in Garmin. Charger and Mains adaptor for cafe stops. Garmin Oregon 700. Li-Ion 3500 mAhr last 12 hours on ONE backlight segment. Wide shoes.
The feelings on gloves and sunscreen are one of the most UK things I have ever heard.😆 As someone who spend 3 months riding at temperatures over 38 C and another 3 month at temperatures over 33 C I would never go for a ride without gloves for grip on the bars while sweating. You also never know when a crash may happen either. Look at Alex’s crash a while back. And, stick sunscreen here quickly becomes liquid sunscreen at those temperatures.
About gloves/mitts - I stopped riding with gloves back in 2018 because I had issues with nerves in my hands (counter-intuitive) ... and that includes things like The DAMN (240 miles of gravel roads in under 24 hours). I still like the sun protection on some rides, but I find my hands are more comfortable without gloves or pad-less gloves. Oh and Ollie should get SRAM eTap shifters to use both hands to shift (kidding ... kinda)
Recommendation: tear free baby sunscreen. Spf 50. Does not burn your eyes when you sweat. I am honestly unsure why all sunscreen isn’t made to be tear free.
I prefer the Bose Open Earbuds over bone conducting earphones. They offer the same feature of leaving your ears open to hear the surroundings but avoid the bow around your neck and, most importantly, offer significantly better audio quality (bone conduction lacks bass and brilliance, the Bose sound fantastic). Only downside is they are easier to lose. Although, dropping one happened to me for the first time today, after almost a year without problems.
Bone conducting headphones utterly revolutionised my riding experience. I'm an absolute music addict and being able to construct playlists when off the bike and then enjoying them while riding is just another reason to get out there. They are also a godsend when the weather turns nasty and I'm miles from home. Completed my first solo century last year in the Welsh hills. Had it not been for the pumping Trance in my ears I'd not have made it over Gospel Pass and had they not been bone conduction the disgruntled tractor approaching from behind would certainly have run me down. 😅
@@gcntech Talla 2XLC, Protoculture, Airbase, Breakfast, Chicane is classic of course. Those should give you a jumping off point. Can wholeheartedly recommend a switchback packed descent vibing to any of these artists.
I recently purchased a light unit for my bikes that also provides battery back-up to head units and other devices. Comes with a small cable that you can connect between the light and device. Brilliant product. I will be using this on my 200km charity ride next year. Should have bought sooner. Love the show!! I also have the bone induction headset. Best thing for safety.
Fully agree with Ollie on headphone use and bone conduction headphones too. I use them for running and have never understood how people can run without their hearing
Ultra riding must haves, dynamo, dynamo to USB power converter, power bank with pass through, dynamo from light and is possible a rear dynamo powered light. Mits, top tube boot, frame bags, aero bars. DI2 is always going to be better for endurance riding over manual. Firstly conservation of energy is critical in endurance riding, pressing a button is so much easier than having to twist a shifter when you’re 20 hours in. Secondly when you have a handle bar bag manual great become inoperative as there is no space for the mechanical leavers to work but electronic shifters still work. Mountain bike pedal over road pedals. Set the bike up for comfort and not speed, stress management is critical, you could be on that bike all day for many days so comfort it critical for getting to the end but more importantly for safety
100% agree with Ollie on hte aftershokz (or equal) headphones need to go on every ride for me. I listen to books on my rides, I pause it on decent or sections where I need 100% concentration or there's just too much wind or road noise, but most of my rides are solo zone 2-3 efforts and I'm able to get through 50+ books a year on the road.
Padded gloves (leather palm, woven cotton tops) are great for absorbing road noise. Well worth the tan lines. And padded shorts for anything over say 50km. Never tried chamois cream. Is it a life changer??
Good show, loked the endurance tips. I would only add a neck gaiters. They make a unexpectedly cool ride tolerable, can save a ride. Also check the weather, ie precipitation, and the wind. Many a rider myself included have been beaten by a wicked gale. Have fun.
That dork disc is cheaply stamped steel, not finely machined aluminum. Also, bikes of that era with cottered steel crank arms were entry level and/or department store bikes.
I’m 70 y/o with arthritis, I do Ultra with BC Randonneurs up to 404 km in 22 hrs 25 min. Comfort and speed. T-Lab X3 Ti bike, 44 mm Rene Herse tires; Infiniti saddle, aero bars, power banks x 2. Garmin 1040 Solar. NIteRider 1000 spot light plus head lamp flood light. Hesitating with the head phone. It’s a matter of safety and staying alert. To not missed check points a ne cues.
Re: pro's closet; stuff was being sold out as I was shopping on the day it was announced. By now, I doubt they have any stock left. Super sad that they're closing...I was anticipating buying another bike from them someday.
Agreed about the wider tires. You answered my question about rim choice last week, and it seems that wheels optimized for 32s aren't a thing (especially in alloy). Pretty sure they need to make something with an extra thick sidewall, so you can have like 23-25 inside and 34mm outside.
I am using the bone conducting headphones from Shokz and love them on longer rides. I also like having my bento box on my top tube as I can easily store some gels and tools in it and not have to fiddle with it in my back pockets of the shirt
In regards to headphone use while riding, it's not that hard to say that for many years, your rock solid opinion was wron....... wron..... has changed. Love my Shokz for long easy rides. 100 percent on keeping your ride comfortable.
Open ear headphones are superior to bone conducting. Better sound, more comfortable and still able to hear everything. I have both, and I only use my Shokz OpenFit ones now.
I had that issue but more elbow (ie tennis elbow). I think my riding position was too aggressive also. I was able to continue riding during my recovery using an old touring bike with twist grip shifting. Loved it.
Oh yes, if you're using bone conducting headphones, you'll need a powerbank. At least on an endurance ride. At least mine drain out the phones battery pretty fast. But I don't often use them, because the audio quality isn't good enough for me for listening to music. (I tried shokz openrun pro 2)
Tires... I think that Trek engineers might have been visionaries when they put wide rims and wide tires on the Trek Domane endurance bike years ago. My Domane SL7 is almost 5 years old and came with 700x32C tires and 25mm internal width rims to match. At first, I thought it was a total marketing gimmick, but now I won't go any narrower on Wisconsin's bumpy roads and I'm glad that the rest of the cycling world is finally starting to catch-on.
9:57 “it’s all in the zip, if you’re got a good zip you can reach in and get your bits. Sometimes it can be harder…” someone really needs to do a compilation on all these GCN out of context innuendo clips 😅
Re: bone conducting headphones.... surprised that you didn't mention how it gets a bit crowded around your ears with the headphones, (sun)glasses, helmet straps.... I have found this to be a challenge on long rides.
Sunblock: get the stuff that's made for kids. Zinc oxide/mineral barrier. Lasts longer and doesn't sting if it gets in your eyes. Also, don't put sunblock above your eyes.
As a Brevet rider in the USA and also a non car owner, I do some long rides. In 2022 I did my first 600k ride, but I biked 50 k there and 50 back home as well. I swore i'd never do that again. I then went and upgraded ma few things. I got the Redshift ShockStop seat post, the ShockStop Stem and the wide Kitchen Sink handle bars with very wide downdrops. i also added the top and drop comfort grips. This past May I went and did another 600k and found I felt SOoooo much better, again still riding the 50k to and back home. Comfort is everything on the long rides, BTW COnnor, I love the 32s as well. Frame bags rule and I hear you about the top tube bags.
Anything by anger is worthwhile,I’ve been using their stuff for years and they’re excellent. I do agree about headphones too, I’m a mountain biker and I refuse to use them, they throw your balance off.
If you are using a varia and have the app running, the alarm will sound long before you would have heard the car coming. If there is wind noise going on, you will be better off with the headphones because you will be more likely to hear the varia alert.
Always wear mitts! I had so many crashes riding BMX as a kid, then riding MTB later due to not wearing gloves cos my hands slipped off the grips. I started wearing gloves and it's never happened since, sure I've crashed but not due to hands slipping. I couldn't imagine riding the road bike down a big hill at speed with sweaty hands, my mates do but I stick with my gloves. The added bonus is not having shredded hands after a crash. Then there's the comfort issue, that's questionable cos some gloves have given me blisters.
Hot weather and insufficient hydration. Being able drink a soda with plenty of sugar in the middle of rides. I'm 80 and over the last year I have started losing endurance but I have put in 3500 miles this year so far. Now if the rain holds off.
How do you find the right/perfect saddle? It's all very well having a bike fit that includes the option to try a few but you're unlikely to be able to try them for extended periods &, in my experience, people that provide bike fits have & promote their favoured brands. It could be the project of a lifetime!
What would you take for an endurance ride? 🚵
Agree with what the guys said, always wear mitts due to UK roads and the soft pad for wiping your face (or nose at this time of year!) is helpful too. Cargo bib shorts are also a useful addition, extra pockets on the back of the bibs and net pockets on the legs to put rubbish like empty gel wrappers in to so they don't cover everything else in gel.
Ill use paper plugs in my ears..that keeps the windnoise out, but can still hear traffic :)
And mitts of course for padding
5 Watt solar cell on the bike rack, best upgrade I bought (even in germany)
Thicker bar tape, works for me
I always use cycling gloves. Have a Specialized/Fjällräven top tube bag when out for longer than 3h. Lastly, the bone conducting headphones are always on. I really like having my music on and still being able to hear the traffic around me.
Amongst all of it, Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France” album and also it’s different versions are some of my most played tracks. Thx for a great show lads. 👍
Is it just me or was this one of the most laid-back episodes of Gcn tech show. The flow was just awesome.
My no. 1 choice for long endurance rides are 950ml Elite bottles. You don‘t want to stop all the time. In terms of bags: Shoutout to Tailfin bags from Bristol around the corner from GCN megabase. Stuff that actually works.
Glad you’re mentioning mitts as we rarely see them worn in GCN vids. I wear them for everything but short rides to the shops etc. for padding and protection. They really make a difference.
+1 for gloves. There’s always a risk of crashing. I had my first crash in a long time a couple of weeks ago-pothole in a shadow-and shredded my gloves with no hand injury at all. Also, a swipe across the brow with my absorbent thumb thingy on the gloves helps keep my sunglasses sweat-free longer.
Ollie: "Front bags are impractical and hard to access while riding"
Me: *easily rummaging in my randonneur bag for a pastry* "No snacks for you, then!"
if you find a seat you like and it works, buy a couple extras because it will surely be discontinued.
A smart person! Just make sure to store them properly. 👏
@@gcntech thanks, living in the desert with 10% humidity, I'm used to mink oiling my shoes and seat. so, I've gone as far as mink oiling and new one, putting it in a Ziplock bag and storing it in the pantry
Shoes too
@@ariffau my riding buddy and I have a standing joke about it, if you buy something and love it, go buy two more. and that's on everything in life.
@@jakebrakebill that’s not a standing joke, mate. That’s life’s greatest advice.
Power banks that double as headlights are a must for endurance rides. Love them.
I’m running a tire inflator that can triple as a flashlight and a powerbank. 🤣 i hate that it’s bulky but I love it for the confidence it gives that I can handle some punctures and low battery issues until I can go home. 😅
As a fair-skinned lad who lives in the South in the US, sunscreen is a MUST! Even on my rides in the early evenings, I apply sunscreen to my forearms and neck. As for the stick-type sunscreen, I carry one with me and use this mostly on my neck on longer rides. Learned this when doing a century ride and having my sunscreen wash off, which led to a very 'toasty' neck after the ride. Made me a true "Red Neck".
Dude, look up the scandalous nonsense of most sunscreen brands being found to have Benzene in them. Benzene is carcinogenic. Look at alternatives.
Ollie with the "15 year old boy discovers internet" injury
My recommendations for endurance:
- Long sleeve non-thermal jersey for sun protection of arms in summer time
- Powermeter to watch constant power output, especially to not get exhausted early by too much power output when going uphill
Could you recommend some brand or what to look for in such a shirt? Seems I only find the ones that also warm you, and they feel too warm for summer. I’d love to swap to the shirts for most of the time.
@@schuerfrau I have the discontinued Gore Torrent long sleeve which I used for almost all of my summer rides this year. The Castelli Prologo 7 long sleeve might be an option as well, as the description states it's for UV protection in summer time.
I have the Le Col Pro long sleeve, and it's great. I also have the Pro Aqua Jersey but that is for colder and wetter days.
Fingerless gloves or "Mits" as you call them have padding in the palms and also, as you stated, if you ever crash, they protect your hands. See Phil Gaimon video of how his palms were ripped up after a "mitless" crash while riding a track bike. Also, see videos of Alex after he crashed.
Ollie, as an old man, (74,) I have old man hands. I have always worn cylicng gloves, (mitts to you Brits.) The brand I use has a small space at the base of the thumb where the velcro closure is. I always have a small tan spot there.
I did 700km ride in 25 hrs just 2 weeks ago, and used most of the things mentioned here- bone conduction headphones, zinc sunscreen stick, power bank in a bento box... one other thing that I think helped was aero bars, which I put on a second bike. I did a bike change every 6-8 hours. I found the slight change in saddle/shoes/bars really comfortable, but obviously, it assumes you have a support vehicle following you to haul the spare bike.
Extraordinary accomplishment.🦿🦿👏🏻👏🏻
Conor's Irish champs bike would meet the Absolute Black criteria. That's very classy and clean.
Double wrapped handlebars, just lovely for long rides and adds virtually no extra weight 😊
As much as I enjoy the educational content of GCN, I also really appreciate the dry humour - in which Ollie seems to specialize. Normally I pick up on "That's what she said" opportunities pretty quickly. But like Conor I was totally surprised by the comment about, "If you've got a good zip, you can reach in and get your bits"! 😂
Another GCN T-shirt waiting to happen!
And GCN might as well go ahead and put Conor's quote on UA-cam as one of their Shorts clips.
Bone Conducting headphones are the best. They're safe, can help pass the time solo and you can always pause and just enjoy outside if you want. Big fan of them. The Aftershokz i have aren't great for music (from an audio levels perspective) but are great for podcasts. Oladance are great for both.
I have to second what you've written about the Shokz ones fully. I have had the same experience as well, although the Pro versions are a it better for music than the standard versions. I haven't tried the others you've mentioned. I may have to give them a try, as I do like my music on rides, and I also like being safe. For years, I would wear a single in ear bud on the "non road" side, so I could hear traffic, etc.
I find the same, I've got an old pair of Aftershokz and the bass on them is poor although apparently newer models are better. Even around my local park, where the traffic is limited to 15mph and there are loads of speed bumps to enforce it, you can still hear the traffic coming as well as kids shouting, dogs barking etc.
Headphones are not safe. If you're listening to music or podcasts while riding, you're missing important cues from your environment because you are listening to something else. You don't know what you are missing.
@@oldanslo I disagree. In-ears are dangerous cause they block out most of the audio, but bone conducting don't. That's why they exist. I don't use them all the time but that, plus my radar letting me know a vehicle is a few KM behind, I've never felt like I was caught off guard. They're not for everyone though for sure I get that
@@cruachan1191 Yeah mine are good but not great. It's also kind of annoying how the volume on mine only goes up to the max of what your phone is. so if my phone is at 50% volume, 100% of my Shokz is 50% of total volume. I realized that first ride when I was THIS close to throwing them away lol
Did a long ride last year (315km), key things I did was g one rs 40mm tyres for comfort (and speed 😮) to help my arse cope with the journey, also used a fizik 3D printed saddle, which was very comfortable, red shift suspension stem to help my hands. Castelli free aero bib shorts for comfort. Top tube box for snacks. Flat peddles and MTB flat shoes so I could move my feet around and move around easier at the drink stops. Made the ride really enjoyable 😊
Been riding Brooks leather saddles for 40 years. They always end up the same shape, which is nothing like any others I’ve seen. Used to see a lot in my club riding days, and they were (pretty much) all different. Shows how we’re all different. So agree 100%, your perfect saddle might not suit anyone else you know.
Thanks for sharing!
I always wear mitts. Saved my hands this week when I took a nasty spill. Only lost a bit of skin on my wrist, I'd be in a lot more pain without the padding. As far as sun protection, sun sleeves are super underrated. They're comfortable even in the worst weather and they protect better than sunscreen.
I can’t recommend bone conducting headphones enough. Best of both worlds..full awareness and music.
I recently changed my saddle, mostly for aesthetic purposes, to a Prologo NDR 143. Total game changer. It has a wide cutout and short nose. My sit bones are now properly supposed, and when I get in an aero position, I'm not being uncomfortably squished.
One simple bit I’d kit I love on an endurance ride…….energy gel pouch. You can get 3 or 4 gels in one and then put it in your jersey pocket. You then don’t have to faff around with gel wrappers during the event. Needs some gel, just get it out and take a slurp. Brilliant.
I love my bone conduction headphones, game changer on solo rides.
I completely agree with Ollie on both headphone usage and bone conduction headphone usage as I also use bone conduction headphones for listening to podcasts when riding. However, I think he ignores the fact that listening to something on headphones is also a massive distraction. Although my ears are no covered I find I don't "hear" traffic because I concentrating on something else. This should not be underestimated.
I agree. Was shocked once to find myself very into a song and hadn't realised a car was right behind me on a country road, (thankfully a very responsible driver). It has made me think twice
Especially for assessing blind cross streets.
Re sun protection: Lycra sleeves!
They're great. Even in 34-degree heat, where the evaporative cooling keeps you comfy.
23:15 that DCRainmaker shoutout 😂
For my Ultra Distance epics I swear on the SON dynamo with a usb converter - really the only way to keep things charged and avoid stopping or being forced to stopp, would never rely on a single power bank
I am a Beginner and find your presentations and comments very useful
11:30 Nothing worse than when your box starts flapping
...between your legs
Left earbud in transparency mode for me. Right ear always uncovered to hear cars nearby. Or use a garmin varia to spot cars cruising right behind you as well
2,954 days of living off a bicycle: noise canceling headphones (gonna get hit from behind by a truck, statiscally, headphones wont hurt ya): power bank with solar panels & Son 28 front hub & Sinewave USB stem cap: Surley Moloko bars, can get aero, & tons of hand positioning, front suspension fork with velospring grips, no buzz: Surley Moloko feed bag, easy to use while riding: 2" wide or greater tires with tubes (no flats, good for higher weights, and better ride, Schwalbe Marathons touring): Selle Anatomica saddle, it is a leather hammok that is adjustable & thudbuster LT post (no padded panties/manties needed).
Don't worry so much about the gear, go use it up with riding and try something new. Know your/you're love
Haha, I’m listening to this on my bone-conducting headphones! Love them. I used to ride with earbuds, but I agree, they were not wise. But bone-conducting is the bomb!
Cameraman zooming in to Ollie's hand when he talks about skiing: you cheeky bastard 😂
Right now I wear gloves because it's kinda cold in the morning! Even with the rather short ride I need to do (1.8 km) the cold gets to my hands. I've also got a light toque that I wear under my helmet, though when it gets really cold I'll switch to a ski helmet.
Other than that, the regular equipment is two bottles, one water and one Gatorade, an under-saddle bag for snacks and a few tools, and also a phone holder.
I'm with Connor on this one. I prefer comfort over speed and even I think 32mm is too small for me. I have 32mm tires with tread on my carbon road bike and would prefer 35mm. I ride consistently already and that's enough for me. I'm looking for another road bike that takes my 38mm tires that's waiting here in my garage. I have my gravel with 47mm on them and my future carbon road bike will have 38mm.
I had a road training wheelset built for my Giant Revolt. I’m running GP5000 AS TR’s in 700x35 - they’re awesome. My gravel wheelset have Pathfinder Pro’s in 47mm.
@@petersouthernboy6327 nice! It makes you want to ride longer and more! I'm about to get my next Roadie sooner or later and it will have 35mm or 38mm which I currently have waiting
@@on2play736 my second big change this season was that I was fit for a 3-D printed short nose saddle. Expensive but life changing
@@petersouthernboy6327 I never liked the look of it and for some reason I can't get past the design. Haha! Then it started crossing my mind within the last few years. If I get one of those for nearly free on FB marketplace then I'll try it out
Powerbank that uses mag-charge as opposed to cable is more reliable in wet weather. USB-C charing port gets swamped in the rain and phone wont charge with cable, especially if phone is mounted on Quadlock on bars / stem during a wet ride.
Having ridden since the 80’s and recently diagnosed with skin cancer on my nose, I can’t stress enough the use of suncream, especially on your nose and ears! Use it, or lose it!
As someone who tried a couple of bone conduction headphones, including the most expensive ones, I’ve found it doesn’t grant me any more environmental awareness than just using earbuds with transparency modes or without sound cancellation on. At volumes loud enough to hear the content over the wind, I’ve found there wasn’t any merit and only a noticeable drop in audio quality. Maybe my ears, or bones in this case, aren’t good enough to tell the difference?
They're especially nice (the bone conduction headphones) for places where having headphones while biking is illegal since it's basically the same thing as having a boom box.
I spent a couple of decades suffering from recurrent tendonitis. Repeatedly using medication, physical therapy, and braces. I have since found that regular weight training can almost entirely prevent future tendonitis episodes. The key is to work with a physical therapist as to which exercises you need to do without inflaming the existing issue. Pull-ups (cyclist kryptonite) are a great exercise for this.
Oi, Bridgewood! The Inner Pedant sitting on my shoulder is *forcing* me to point out that you are confusing acronyms with nominative determinism! Unfortunately I'm personally too dull-witted to dream up a witty acronym to sign off with. Which is why I failed my interview for the position of Acronym Research & Selection Executive.
I found a saddle that just what I wanted and is really comfortable all day - I bought half a dozen! Because I know that when I came to get another one - I wouldn't be able to find one.
**been on swift 7 years. Not quite as long as Oli but quite a long time. £5.99 then! £17.99 now! There have been lots of changes but at the end of the day you're still pedalling a bike in a room! How many riders who use Zwift actually look at the screen? I bet the majority watch UA-cam, TV or listen to something.
I wear mitts/gloves always, not for crashes, but not to have wet/sweaty hands on a handlebar or rubber hoods (no grip), + padding is important
I've become a disk and wide tyres (ish) convert recently. Now look, they're right, on continental Europe, USA and Canada you can get by with 25mm no worries and have awesome time. But in England our roads are pretty much gravel with how chunky the asphalt is, I reckon if you did a watt test you'd need an extra 50w to cruse at the same speed compared to a Spanish or Swiss road. With constant potholes and patch-repairs making up most of some roads I've found it far smoother especially in the winter months between Jan and Dec.
I liked that you mentioned mitts/gloves and saddles. Two contact points. I would add a good cycling shoe with a proper fit. Even with a custom foot bed. Add the third point of contact.
I wear mitts because I can use my hands to clean my tires and prevent flats. I use aero bars for endurance rides to give me another hand position on the bike. Connor nickname should be Jolly Green Giant.
There are mitts without padding simply to improve grip and wick the sweat away. Giro Zero come to mind.
It feels like this video was made for me! 🤣 32mm tyres, talking about comfort, constant feeding - apart from the earphones. I've had a pair for many years but still never used them on the bike.
Atlas of public toilets. A "Relief map".
Subway app on my phone. Subway have Gluten Free, McD and BK don't. KFC are GF, except for the burger buns.
There should be no pain on a bike tour. If there is, you are pedalling wrong.
There should be no hand discomfort. If there is, your saddle is tipped forward.
Li-Ion batteries in Garmin. Charger and Mains adaptor for cafe stops. Garmin Oregon 700. Li-Ion 3500 mAhr last 12 hours on ONE backlight segment.
Wide shoes.
Fignon looked in pain in '89.
The feelings on gloves and sunscreen are one of the most UK things I have ever heard.😆 As someone who spend 3 months riding at temperatures over 38 C and another 3 month at temperatures over 33 C I would never go for a ride without gloves for grip on the bars while sweating. You also never know when a crash may happen either. Look at Alex’s crash a while back. And, stick sunscreen here quickly becomes liquid sunscreen at those temperatures.
About gloves/mitts - I stopped riding with gloves back in 2018 because I had issues with nerves in my hands (counter-intuitive) ... and that includes things like The DAMN (240 miles of gravel roads in under 24 hours). I still like the sun protection on some rides, but I find my hands are more comfortable without gloves or pad-less gloves. Oh and Ollie should get SRAM eTap shifters to use both hands to shift (kidding ... kinda)
Recommendation: tear free baby sunscreen. Spf 50. Does not burn your eyes when you sweat. I am honestly unsure why all sunscreen isn’t made to be tear free.
I prefer the Bose Open Earbuds over bone conducting earphones. They offer the same feature of leaving your ears open to hear the surroundings but avoid the bow around your neck and, most importantly, offer significantly better audio quality (bone conduction lacks bass and brilliance, the Bose sound fantastic). Only downside is they are easier to lose. Although, dropping one happened to me for the first time today, after almost a year without problems.
Bone conducting headphones utterly revolutionised my riding experience. I'm an absolute music addict and being able to construct playlists when off the bike and then enjoying them while riding is just another reason to get out there. They are also a godsend when the weather turns nasty and I'm miles from home.
Completed my first solo century last year in the Welsh hills. Had it not been for the pumping Trance in my ears I'd not have made it over Gospel Pass and had they not been bone conduction the disgruntled tractor approaching from behind would certainly have run me down. 😅
any favourite trance dj's?
@@gcntech Talla 2XLC, Protoculture, Airbase, Breakfast, Chicane is classic of course. Those should give you a jumping off point. Can wholeheartedly recommend a switchback packed descent vibing to any of these artists.
I recently purchased a light unit for my bikes that also provides battery back-up to head units and other devices. Comes with a small cable that you can connect between the light and device. Brilliant product. I will be using this on my 200km charity ride next year. Should have bought sooner. Love the show!! I also have the bone induction headset. Best thing for safety.
Fully agree with Ollie on headphone use and bone conduction headphones too. I use them for running and have never understood how people can run without their hearing
11m28s - More Conor single entendre material...
Always wear mitts or gloves just for the comfort. Sunscreen is essential for me as someone whose has had a skin cancer.
Ultra riding must haves, dynamo, dynamo to USB power converter, power bank with pass through, dynamo from light and is possible a rear dynamo powered light. Mits, top tube boot, frame bags, aero bars. DI2 is always going to be better for endurance riding over manual. Firstly conservation of energy is critical in endurance riding, pressing a button is so much easier than having to twist a shifter when you’re 20 hours in. Secondly when you have a handle bar bag manual great become inoperative as there is no space for the mechanical leavers to work but electronic shifters still work. Mountain bike pedal over road pedals. Set the bike up for comfort and not speed, stress management is critical, you could be on that bike all day for many days so comfort it critical for getting to the end but more importantly for safety
mitts are great to clean your face from sweat or your running nose...
100% agree with Ollie on hte aftershokz (or equal) headphones need to go on every ride for me. I listen to books on my rides, I pause it on decent or sections where I need 100% concentration or there's just too much wind or road noise, but most of my rides are solo zone 2-3 efforts and I'm able to get through 50+ books a year on the road.
Love the explanation of what a power bank is used for 😂
Padded gloves (leather palm, woven cotton tops) are great for absorbing road noise. Well worth the tan lines. And padded shorts for anything over say 50km. Never tried chamois cream. Is it a life changer??
Good show, loked the endurance tips. I would only add a neck gaiters. They make a unexpectedly cool ride tolerable, can save a ride. Also check the weather, ie precipitation, and the wind. Many a rider myself included have been beaten by a wicked gale. Have fun.
That dork disc is cheaply stamped steel, not finely machined aluminum. Also, bikes of that era with cottered steel crank arms were entry level and/or department store bikes.
I’m 70 y/o with arthritis, I do Ultra with BC Randonneurs up to 404 km in 22 hrs 25 min. Comfort and speed. T-Lab X3 Ti bike, 44 mm Rene Herse tires; Infiniti saddle, aero bars, power banks x 2. Garmin 1040 Solar. NIteRider 1000 spot light plus head lamp flood light. Hesitating with the head phone. It’s a matter of safety and staying alert. To not missed check points a ne cues.
Great episode really enjoyed the conversational style😎👍
Watching this while training, definitely helps me fight through, though I'm in my garage, so no headphones required.
Re: pro's closet; stuff was being sold out as I was shopping on the day it was announced. By now, I doubt they have any stock left. Super sad that they're closing...I was anticipating buying another bike from them someday.
I ride with none conducting headphones all the time the are amazing. Been using them for years!
Agreed about the wider tires. You answered my question about rim choice last week, and it seems that wheels optimized for 32s aren't a thing (especially in alloy). Pretty sure they need to make something with an extra thick sidewall, so you can have like 23-25 inside and 34mm outside.
Any idea which tyre brand they mentioned that might be going out of business?
"I don't like top tube bags because some of them are crap. The good ones are great, though." 😂
You could say the same for anything.
A response that always works
Quality well fitting bibs are a must.
And a pro bike fit is worth every penny.
For endurance the most important thing is rhe saddle. Saddle. Saddle. Saddle.
My favorite bit of the chippy tea ride was the debate over clotted cream going on first or last
I am using the bone conducting headphones from Shokz and love them on longer rides. I also like having my bento box on my top tube as I can easily store some gels and tools in it and not have to fiddle with it in my back pockets of the shirt
In regards to headphone use while riding, it's not that hard to say that for many years, your rock solid opinion was wron....... wron..... has changed. Love my Shokz for long easy rides. 100 percent on keeping your ride comfortable.
As a commuter - mits every day!
Open ear headphones are superior to bone conducting. Better sound, more comfortable and still able to hear everything. I have both, and I only use my Shokz OpenFit ones now.
Larger bottles, top tube bag (screwed to the frame), frame bag and aero bars.
I’m with you 💯 on headphones
I had that issue but more elbow (ie tennis elbow). I think my riding position was too aggressive also. I was able to continue riding during my recovery using an old touring bike with twist grip shifting. Loved it.
Oh yes, if you're using bone conducting headphones, you'll need a powerbank. At least on an endurance ride. At least mine drain out the phones battery pretty fast. But I don't often use them, because the audio quality isn't good enough for me for listening to music. (I tried shokz openrun pro 2)
Tires... I think that Trek engineers might have been visionaries when they put wide rims and wide tires on the Trek Domane endurance bike years ago. My Domane SL7 is almost 5 years old and came with 700x32C tires and 25mm internal width rims to match. At first, I thought it was a total marketing gimmick, but now I won't go any narrower on Wisconsin's bumpy roads and I'm glad that the rest of the cycling world is finally starting to catch-on.
9:57 “it’s all in the zip, if you’re got a good zip you can reach in and get your bits. Sometimes it can be harder…” someone really needs to do a compilation on all these GCN out of context innuendo clips 😅
Re: bone conducting headphones.... surprised that you didn't mention how it gets a bit crowded around your ears with the headphones, (sun)glasses, helmet straps.... I have found this to be a challenge on long rides.
Sunblock: get the stuff that's made for kids. Zinc oxide/mineral barrier. Lasts longer and doesn't sting if it gets in your eyes. Also, don't put sunblock above your eyes.
Lovely jumpers
As a Brevet rider in the USA and also a non car owner, I do some long rides. In 2022 I did my first 600k ride, but I biked 50 k there and 50 back home as well. I swore i'd never do that again. I then went and upgraded ma few things. I got the Redshift ShockStop seat post, the ShockStop Stem and the wide Kitchen Sink handle bars with very wide downdrops. i also added the top and drop comfort grips. This past May I went and did another 600k and found I felt SOoooo much better, again still riding the 50k to and back home. Comfort is everything on the long rides, BTW COnnor, I love the 32s as well. Frame bags rule and I hear you about the top tube bags.
Anything by anger is worthwhile,I’ve been using their stuff for years and they’re excellent. I do agree about headphones too, I’m a mountain biker and I refuse to use them, they throw your balance off.
If you are using a varia and have the app running, the alarm will sound long before you would have heard the car coming. If there is wind noise going on, you will be better off with the headphones because you will be more likely to hear the varia alert.
Always wear mitts! I had so many crashes riding BMX as a kid, then riding MTB later due to not wearing gloves cos my hands slipped off the grips. I started wearing gloves and it's never happened since, sure I've crashed but not due to hands slipping. I couldn't imagine riding the road bike down a big hill at speed with sweaty hands, my mates do but I stick with my gloves. The added bonus is not having shredded hands after a crash. Then there's the comfort issue, that's questionable cos some gloves have given me blisters.
7:00 hmmm "mits" I do wear gloves all the time.
Thanks GCN for digging the jousting clip out of the archive. 😂
Hot weather and insufficient hydration. Being able drink a soda with plenty of sugar in the middle of rides. I'm 80 and over the last year I have started losing endurance but I have put in 3500 miles this year so far. Now if the rain holds off.
And yet people who use leather saddles love them. I really like the EC90 even better than Flite gel.
Love my bones phones for riding!
How do you find the right/perfect saddle? It's all very well having a bike fit that includes the option to try a few but you're unlikely to be able to try them for extended periods &, in my experience, people that provide bike fits have & promote their favoured brands. It could be the project of a lifetime!